Efforts to redevelop Dharavi date back to the 1950s, but previous attempts failed due to challenges in acquiring land and attracting investment for infrastructure. 
Special 
Efforts to redevelop Dharavi date back to the 1950s, but previous attempts failed due to challenges in acquiring land and attracting investment for infrastructure. The BJP-led Mahayuti’s landslide victory in Maharashtra will strengthen billionaire Gautam Adani’s group’s $3-billion plan to redevelop Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum, into a “world-class” district.
Opposition parties, notably the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), had promised to reclaim land allocated to the Adani group for this project, even pledging to scrap it entirely if they came to power.
For Adani, already embroiled in bribery charges in a US court, the cancellation of the Dharavi redevelopment would have been a significant blow. However, with election results showing the BJP, along with its allies Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde and Nationalist Congress Party by Ajit Pawar, securing over three-fourths of the 288 Maharashtra assembly seats, those concerns are now alleviated.
Adani plans to transform 620 acres of prime land — nearly three-quarters the size of New York’s Central Park — into a modern urban hub. Approximately 700,000 people currently living in deteriorating conditions in Dharavi’s overcrowded slums, which are near Mumbai's international airport, will receive free flats of up to 350 sq ft.
The redevelopment has sparked political debate, with opposition accusing the Adani group of receiving undue favours from the state government in securing the project. The group had denied all allegations of any such favouritism.
Rahul Gandhi, Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, repeatedly criticised the project, alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP were enriching crony capitalists like Adani.
While Dharavi is home to an estimated 1 million residents, about 700,000 are eligible for the project based on residency criteria requiring proof of living in the area before January 1, 2000. The remaining residents will be relocated, a proposal that has faced opposition from locals, who do not want anyone displaced.
Adani won the contract in 2022 to redevelop the slum in a seven-year timeline. The Maharashtra government had also approved the acquisition of 256 acres of salt-pan land for the project, which will be leased to the state government, while the Adani Group holds an 80% stake in the Dharavi Redevelopment Project Pvt.
The plan will involve the construction of low-cost housing for residents, with a survey underway to determine who will be rehoused within Dharavi and who will be relocated. Dharavi is a vital hub for small industries, from leather goods to textiles, and houses cramped shanties, with multiple families often sharing a single toilet.
In 2022, the state issued a new tender to redevelop Dharavi after the previous deal was cancelled. The Adani Group won by offering to pay Rs 5,070 crore — more than double the next highest bidder's offer — to provide homes with kitchens and toilets for eligible slum residents.
Seclink Technologies, a Dubai-based consortium that initially won the cancelled 2018 tender, challenged the new contract in court, alleging that the bidding process unfairly favoured Adani. The state government countered that the tender process was revised due to changes in the financial landscape after the COVID pandemic, and that Seclink was not excluded from the bidding.
Efforts to redevelop Dharavi date back to the 1950s, but previous attempts failed due to challenges in acquiring land and attracting investment for infrastructure. The current plan — the state’s fourth attempt — has seen the most progress and aims to turn the slum, roughly the size of Monaco, into modern apartments, offices, and commercial spaces.
Once an informal settlement for Muslim leather tanners, Dharavi evolved into a bustling, multi-ethnic community. As Mumbai expanded, the slum moved from the city’s outskirts to become a key area within the metropolis, home to a range of small-scale industries.
The Adani-led project includes plans for sustainable transportation and modern utilities, along with vocational training programs to empower youth and workers in Dharavi. These initiatives aim to provide eco-friendly jobs and enhance the earning potential of local residents, contributing to a more prosperous and sustainable future for the community.
(With inputs from PTI)
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